Christopher Mott
Room: 16
Office Hours
Tel:
Email: cm2349
st-andrews.ac.uk
Biography
Chris previously studied Global History at Rutgers University (BA-2007) with a capstone thesis about the warfare and diplomacy of the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) League in the 17th and 18th centuries. He then participated in numerous work/study programmes and internships at such places as The David Library of the American Revolution, MSNBC, the office of Congressman Patrick Murphy, and the Canadian Embassy in Washington D.C. Chris has also recieved a Master's degree from London Metropolitan University in 2009 with a thesis about U.S. offshore balancing strategy in East Asia.
Thesis Title
The Formless Empire: The Evolution of Indigenous Eurasian Geopolitics
Supervisor
Professor Andrew Williams
Thesis Summary
Tracking the rise, fall, and evolution of the indegenous grand strategies and geopolitical methods of Inner Eurasian states from pre-modern nomadic peoples through today. This thesis will focus primarily on the inadquacies of foreign geopolitical theories alone to fully account for this story and advocate a geopolitical understanding rooted in the history of the indigenous people themselves and their unique type of power politics.
Research Interests
Chris' primary interests lie in great power politics, grand strategy, the confluence of history and International Relations, pre-modern Central Asia, the history of global diplomacy and warfare, the rise and fall of empires, and the modern day foreign policies of Russia, China, Japan, and the United States.
Refereed Articles
(Co-authored) Romaniuk, Scott N., Joshua K. Wasylciw and Christopher D. Mott (Sept. 2010): "In Omnia Paratus: Of War, Conflict, and International Law in the Contemporary World System." Canadian Journal of Politics and Law, (3)2.
(Co-authored) Romaniuk, Scott N., Christopher D. Mott (March 2011): "Playing Poker with the Rule of Law: The United Nations and Interntional Peacebuilding Strategies during the Eritrean-Ethiopian War." Canadian Journal of Politics and Law, (4)1.
Papers
Batu Khan, The Golden Horde, and Russia: The Precursor to Modern Eurasian Hegemony. 2010
The Formless Borders of the Khitan Empires. 2011
Settled Behemoths in Nomadic Space: The Complex Borders of the Sino-Russian Frontier. 2011
Nomadic Dancing Between Dragon, Wolf, and Bear: The Historic Context of Eurasian Geopolitics. 2011
Conferences
Oriens meets Occidens at the University of St Andrews. March 25-26, 2011.
Center for Small State Studies at the University of Iceland, June 18-July 3, 2011.
Historical and Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Borders at the University of St Andrews, October 8-9, 2011.
Contemporary East Asia Workshop at the University of Durham. October 13-14, 2011.
11th Annual Aleksanteri Conference at the University of Helsinki, November 9-11, 2011.
Conference Organisation
Panel Moderator and Co-Organizer of the Historical and Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Borders, St Andrews, 2011.
